Happy New Year!

2014 is here! 2013 in the books. It was incredible--events big like us buying a house and my nephew Robi being born, events small but nonetheless held dear to my heart like Mila's swim lessons and Dani's roly-poly self bobbing for apples on our new front porch. This past year stretched me so much in ways very very far out of my comfort zone, sometimes I handled it gracefully and often I didn't. I tried. I did a lot of apologizing in 2013. Fatty, our beloved huge-hearted crazy (more dog than) cat, was put to sleep in 2013 for medical reasons. That was hard, very very hard. House hunting started out fun and then wore thin. That stretched us. We fell in love with three different houses before the stars aligned and we finally got our house. Our first home. Moving and getting settled in---an ongoing process--stretched me. Dani went from a tiny, sleepy, curled-up baby to practically* a toddler, climbing and falling down and ER visits and everything ;) This past year Mila went to her first movie, learned how to swim, finally became friends with a little thing called a toilet, and transitioned to a twin bed from her crib. A big year all around. There were friendships rekindled that I'm so very grateful for. A whole year spent back in Florida near my family--I haven't been able to say that in awhile. 2013, you were good to us.

I'm not quite ready to share resolutions yet, I'm still mulling and muddling them over (but I promise at least one has to do with squeezing some exercise in--and house projects will probably take up another post entirely). One definitely has to do with blogging more...part of my job as mama is to be the memory keeper and this little space, even though it doesn't cover everything, certainly, is a part of that. I love the idea of grown-up Mila and Dani reading these words and feeling united in the same emotions and experiences of raising their children. Unfortunately when I get busy in real life it usually translates into less time here, obviously; 2014 promises to be no less busy but I'm going to try to prioritize blogging a little more. 

Most especially, I would love to be able to say at the end of 2014 that I found joy every day. Looking at these photos, just a few of my favorites from our Christmas and New Year's...it seems like a no brainer. Just look at those two turkeys. They're mine and they bring me joy on a near-constant basis. Even that last picture? The one where Mila is clearly being none too pleasant, Dani looks half past exhaustion, I have crazy eyes and Steve has his let's soldier on, damnit expression. Even there, taken at the end of a beautifully exhausting Christmas day filled with dear family and some long-overdue reunions. Even there I see it.

Happy new year! I hope it was wonderful and sparkly, surrounded by people you love.